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CHAPTER 01
Fire Effect & Heat Haze | Page 04

CHAPTER 02
Sparks & Glows | Page 12

CHAPTER 03
Sci-Fi | Page 20

CHAPTER 04
Underwater Scene | Page 30
CHAPTER 01

Fire Effect & Heat Haze

Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze

Chapter 01 - Fire Effect

+ Heat Haze
Software used: 3ds Max & Photoshop

Introduction
This tutorial is aimed at the 3D artist and is
designed to show how Photoshop and the
principals of post-production can help enhance
a 3D render. The notion behind this tutorial is to
demonstrate how certain aspects within a scene
can be achieved via a 2D approach and yet still
work in harmony with the 3D components. In
fact this method can prove far more economical
in terms of time and effort, and can often yield
results that are just as effective in the context
of a still. During this tutorial we will look at a
few ways to add some particle effects that
could prove difficult and time consuming in a
3D environment. We will begin with a base 3D
render, which in this case is a scene created by
Christopher Tackett for the Pixologic challenge.
We will transform the scene by adding some fire
and smoke into the background and then apply
some heat haze to the foreground.

Fig.01 shows the base render by Christopher,

which portrays a warrior amid a barren
wasteland. The color scheme and environment
are perfect for a transformation into a heat-
ravaged landscape of fire and smoke. I decided
to have some fire emerging from behind him on
the left of the picture and so the first port of call Adding any visual effect does involve an artistic particular map shows peeling paint, but the

was to create this effect. As this is to be a still eye to some degree, but hopefully these areas in black bore a resemblance to flame

we can add the fire in 2D, which can work really techniques will be useful to artists who are not shapes. I selected these areas (Select > Color

well and save time adjusting parameters and proficient in painting and permit them to apply Range) and then copied and pasted these into

doing intensive render tests.
the methods on offer and enhance their own
workflow and post work.
In order to avoid a purely manual approach I
have opted to use existing maps and images to
build the components. With regard to the fire I
have chosen to utilise a dirt map, which can be
seen in Fig.02.
I searched through a library until I found a
pattern that most resembled flames. This
the render. It is far easier in any post-production
if your render is divided into separate layers
so that you can quickly paste selections into
different regions and still have the freedom to
move things around. In this case the character
was also supplied as an alpha channel and so
I could paste the dirt map in behind him with
ease. I selected the area behind him and then
pasted the dirt map into this selection area (Shift
+ Ctrl + V). I then moved the different areas
around to create the pattern visible in Fig.03.

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 Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze Photoshop Post Effects

The flames are essentially the black areas

from Fig.02 that have been re-arranged into a
different configuration using the Transform tools
and the Eraser.

Once I was happy with the general shape I

locked the transparent pixels on this layer (small
chequer box above the Layers palette) and then
filled it with a lemon yellow. Then, using a pure
white, I painted in a rough area in the centre of
the largest shapes. As this was meant to depict
fire it needed some blurring courtesy of Filter >
Blur > Motion Blur with an angle that tilted along
a diagonal (see inset). To create a more intense
light and heat I applied a glow effect by way of
Layer > Layer Style > Outer Glow, using the
settings shown in Fig.04.

With the flames established I needed to add
some smoke and further effects to better
integrate it into the scene. The first step was
to add smoke, which I did by using a photo of
clouds from the free reference library at: http://
freetextures.3dtotal.com/. I made a selection
area around the clouds and then pasted it into
the render. It was then color corrected by way
of Image > Adjustments > Color Balance and
the brightness reduced so that it matched the
scene. As with any section of an image it is
often necessary to use a soft edged Eraser to
blend it in (Fig.05).
By using a few selection areas I built up a
denser volume of smoke around the fire
(Fig.06). It is always useful to keep everything
on separate layers. In this case it allowed me
to manipulate the different smoke components
individually and move them around in order to
experiment with the composition.
The next phase concerns the creation of a
softer, transitional edge around the flames and
making a glow that blends them with the smoke.
To do this, I again used another dirt map and
selected just one aspect using Select > Color

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze
Range. I then copied and pasted the white
regions into the scene and made them bright
orange (Fig.07). As with the flames I added
some blurring, but this time just using Gaussian
Blur. It looks a little patchy here but when the
flames are superimposed it makes more sense
(Fig.08).

Perhaps the last aspect to add is some evidence

of sparks, which were also derived from a dirt
map. Fig.09 shows the map used, which in this
instance only involves the white areas. Once
these were integrated I duplicated the layer and
added some Gaussian Blur in order to give them
a slight glow and reduce the sharpness.The
next phase involves adding smoke to the right
hand side of the background. I find the best way
of doing this is to use photos of clouds. Again
I sourced a photo from the library and chose a
suitable cloud formation that could represent
a thick plume of smoke (Fig.10). This type of
cumulous cloud is perfect, but if you want to
fade the smoke out you can either use a soft
Eraser or select a more wispy cirrus cloud and
blend the two together. Once your cloud has
been copied in the first thing to do is adjust the
brightness and contrast using a combination of
Curves, Levels and Brightness/Contrast. When
satisfied you can then color correct it using
Image > Adjustments > Color Balance and Hue/
Saturation. The technique is identical to that
shown in Fig.05.

With this done it was time to add further smoke

into the background. Fig.11 shows the addition
of an extra section of smoke, which has been
used to fade out the main plume nearest the
viewer along with some extra plumes throughout
the distance.

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 Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze Photoshop Post Effects

To maintain a fiery and heat-ravaged theme

throughout the picture I thought it would be
good to transform the landscape into a scorched
wasteland. To do this I used a dirt map again,
which can be seen on the left in Fig.12. I
selected the white areas only and then pasted
these into the scene before scaling them down
along the vertical axis to match the perspective.
Using an Eraser I then deleted sections to form
the patches you can see in the render.

To get the correct color I locked the pixels (see

Fig.03) and then, using the Eyedropper tool
as a guide, chose lighter versions of the scene
colors. I then went to Layer > Layer Style >
Outer Glow and applied the settings shown
in Fig.13 to add a sense of heat. To enhance
the effect further I duplicated the layer along
with the layer style and then erased everything
except a few choice areas in the centre of some
of the larger patches. To complete the effect I
made these remaining areas bright yellow.

Fig.14 shows the before and after effects of the

secondary glow.This completes the background
section of the scene, but because I have added
an extra source of light via the fire this should
be reflected in the character by way of some
rim lighting. A quick and easy way to do this is
to first select just the character, and on a new
layer fill the selection area with a suitable color
(in this case a yellow to mirror the fire - see
upper image in Fig.15). Go to Select > Modify
> Contract and add a value that creates an
appropriately sized boundary within the outline
of the character.

Next go to Select > Modify > Feather and enter

a value between 10 and 20 depending on the
size of your image. Hitting delete will reveal a
soft edged border around the character as seen
in the lower image. and tried reducing the number of pixels when that sections of the edge have been erased

modifying the selection area whilst ignoring any where there would be less light so be mindful of

After following this process I changed the feathering. The upper image in Fig.16 shows this when using this technique.

blending mode to Soft Light and then duplicated such a layer that, when combined with a few
the layer to exaggerate the effect. To add a feathered layers, adds stronger highlights along Fig.17 shows the cumulative effect which

sharper edge of light, I repeated the above steps the extreme edge of the warrior. You will notice involves a few layers incorporating different

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze

selection settings. There is no formula to

creating the perfect effect but with some
experimenting and some considered use of the
Eraser you can quickly achieve a satisfactory
result without the need for manual brushwork.
The last aspect that will help enhance the fiery
environment is some evidence of heat haze
which can be done using a combination of two
filters. The first step is to flatten the image and
then duplicate it. Once done, I selected the
new layer and went to Filter > Distort > Glass.
The settings will vary according to your scene
but these are the ones I applied in this case
(Fig.18). The Frosted texture is the best option
but the Scaling will wholly depend on the scene.

Obviously you cannot have a heat haze across

the entire image as it would look unrealistic and
so I focused it along the foreground. I duplicated
the distorted layer and then, in Quick Mask
Mode, selected a Foreground to Transparent
Radial Gradient and dragged a circle around
the base of the right foot as shown in Fig.19.
Switching to Standard Mode I then deleted the
area around the foot and repeated this on the
duplicate layer for the area around the left foot.
The two layers could now be merged and the
before and after effects of this distortion can be
seen in Fig.20.

One final filter that will complete the effect is
a Wave, which is also found under the Distort
menu. Again the settings for this are entirely
dependent on the scene and image size;
however these are roughly the ones I applied in
this instance (Fig.21). Again to limit this filter to
a specific region I duplicated the flattened layer
and then applied the Wave to this. I wanted
to restrict it to the extreme foreground and so,
using Quick Mask Mode, I dragged a Linear
Gradient from the bottom of the canvas up to
the knee region at an angle that matched the
ground (Fig.22). Back in Standard Mode I then
deleted the upper section and merged this layer

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 Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze Photoshop Post Effects

with the Glass distortion. I applied a little Gaussian Blur to the distortion and
then flattened the PSD file, resulting in the final version (Fig.23).

I hope that this tutorial has offered some useful tips on creating complex
particle effects in Photoshop and shown that post work can prove a viable
alternative to 3D.I would like to extend my thanks to Christopher Tackett for
allowing the use of his great artwork for this project.

Richard Tilbury
For more from this artist visit:
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact them at:
ibex80@hotmail.com
www.3dtotal.com page 10 Chapter 01
Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 01: Fire Effect + Heat Haze

www.3dtotal.com page 11 Chapter 01

CHAPTER 02

Sparks & Glows

Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows

Chapter 02 - Sparks and

Glows
Software used: 3ds Max & Photoshop

Introduction
This tutorial is aimed at the 3D artist and is
designed to show how Photoshop and the
principals of post-production can help enhance
a 3D render. The notion behind this tutorial is to
demonstrate how certain aspects within a scene
can be achieved via a 2D approach and yet still
work in harmony with the 3D components. In
fact, this method can prove far more economical
in terms of time and effort, and can often yield
results that are just as effective in the context
of a still. During this tutorial we will look at a
few ways to add some particle effects that
could prove difficult and time-consuming in a
3D environment. We will begin with a base 3D
render, which in this case is a foundry, and then
discuss the techniques used to add in smoke
and molten metal to give the scene a heated
atmosphere.

Fig.01 shows the base render that was exported

from 3ds Max and which incorporates a series of
Area Omni lights, focusing the main light source
within the foreground container which will house
the molten metal.
The background has been left blank as this
will comprise of smoke, which will be added
in Photoshop. The idea was to render out the
crucial components in 3D and deliberately leave
out anything that can be done in post-production
afterwards, i.e: the molten metal and smoke.
One useful render pass to save out for any kind
of post production is an Object ID pass, which
you can see in Fig.02. This provides a quick
and effective way of masking specific sections
of the render, which is very useful during any
post-production.
The first step is to add in some background
smoke which will help add some sort of context
as the objects are currently situated in a void.
Using the object ID pass, which is on a separate
layer in my PSD file, I went to Select > Color
Range and then selected the black background
using Fuzziness of 200 (Fig.03).
Smoke is a difficult effect to get right in 3D
and so being able to do it in Photoshop is a
great shortcut, and also enables you to use
photographs which guarantee a certain level of
realism. Now if you have some good reference
photos of smoke then these will prove ideal, but
a good substitute that are readily available to
photograph yourself are clouds. This is also a
heavily documented subject amongst reference
libraries and so makes a good starting point. In
this case I found a suitable image at 3DTotal’s
free resource library, which can be found here in
the skies section:
http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i
mi=8491&s=c:Skies&p=0&cid=17
Using Select > Color Range I selected a large
proportion of the main cloud. You can vary the
selection area by altering the Fuzziness and by
moving the color picker around. Once satisfied it
is time to copy the selection (Ctrl + C) and then
paste it into the background area of the render.
Ensure that the background is selected and then
hit Shift + Ctrl + V, which restricts the cloud layer
to just the background (Fig.04).
Once it is pasted in it needs some colou
correcting by way of Image > Adjustments >

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 Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows Photoshop Post Effects

Hue/Saturation and Color Balance. I darkened

it slightly and then tinted it towards a warmer
color to help blend it in with the lighting
(Fig.05). Because the selection area grabbed
some unwanted areas around the cloud it was
necessary to erase these using a soft edged
Eraser. The left hand edge running vertically
needed to be softened and the sections lower
center was also not necessary as this was
going to be hidden by the molten metal (see
red crosses). You can see the final result in the
right-hand image.

The brush I used is one of the standard soft

round airbrushes, the settings of which can be
seen in Fig.06.

Using this cloud layer, I duplicated it, flipped it

horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal)
and then moved it to the left-hand side to fill in
the void that still existed (Fig.07).

At the moment the smoke in the upper part of

the render looks OK, but looks a little too bright
towards the bottom half. To help alleviate this
we can use a Gradient. I first selected just the
background using the object ID layer and then
selected the Gradient tool, making sure the
preset was Foreground to Transparent. On a
new layer I then dragged from roughly the base
of the red arrow in Fig.08 to its tip, using the
reddish brown in the editor. The result can be
seen in the inset render. This blending mode
now needed to be set to Multiply.

In Fig.09 you can see the before (left) and after

effects of this gradient in the top two images.
I then applied a new gradient set to Multiply,
but this time using an olive green (bottom left
image). This ensures that the yellow light of the
foreground affects the smoke lower down and
gradually fades to a more reddish tint towards
the top of the frame. The final result of both
gradients can be seen in the lower right image.

To help create a warmer light in the upper part

of the foreground I added a further gradient

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows

using the color seen in Fig.10. I used the

objectID layer to isolate the foreground objects
and then applied a Foreground to Transparent
gradient, starting from the top and dragging
down to roughly the lower rail. I then set this to
Soft Light, which can be seen on the right.

To create the molten metal I created a new layer

and, using a hard round airbrush, painted in
some strokes in pure white (Fig.11). Once done
I applied an Outer Glow (Layer > Layer Style >
Outer Glow) using the settings seen in the upper
dialog box. The result can be seen in the lower
right image. Settings will vary according to the
size of your render so experiment.

I duplicated this layer and then changed the

Outer Glow settings to add another layer, which
can be seen in the lower left image (1) in Fig.12.
You can see the two copies in the layers palette
on the right and the combined result in image 2.

It was now time to start work on the vat of
molten metal and create some heat (Fig.13). On
a new layer I created an elliptical selection area
that roughly matched the size and perspective
of the vat (1). I then filled this with a pure white
and erased around the ribs (2). I then went once
again to Layer > Layer Style > Outer Glow and
applied the settings seen in dialog box. The final
result can be seen in the lower right image.
To enhance the sensation of heat emanating
from the centre of the vat I added a further layer
(Fig.14). Using a soft round airbrush I painted
in a small elliptical area of yellow using the

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 Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows Photoshop Post Effects

previous method, which I then blurred heavily

(Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (1)). I applied
another Outer Glow using the settings seen
in the upper right (2). When both layers are
combined they create a more intense glow (4)
compared to the initial layer (3).

The glow from the vat required a warmer tint

around its origin and so to do this I added a
new layer and using a large soft round airbrush,
approximately 600 - 800 pixels wide, I clicked
once with the mouse at the point where the
poured metal enters the vat, using an orange
color (Fig.15). This looks similar to the small
inset seen on the right (1). I then applied
some Gaussian Blur to soften the shape and
expanded it (2). This layer was then set to
Overlay blending mode and eventually appeared
as shown in inset 3.

As has become the pattern now, I used an

additional layer to enhance the effect of this
one. I duplicated the layer, but this time reduced
the opacity to 68% and set the blending mode to
Lighten (the combined effect can be seen in the
right image in Fig.16).
of integration with the foreground. I left this The image of clouds that I used before was
The right-hand edge of the image looks a part of the render blank in order to use some perfectly adequate to be used once again and
little disjointed and because there is a smoke foreground smoke, which helped to bind the two so using the same technique, I copied and
filled backdrop there needs to be some form spaces. pasted in a portion of the cloud as before.

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows
I color corrected it by way of Image >
Adjustments > Color Balance, Hue/Saturation
and then used a soft edged Eraser to soften the
edge. You can see this layer isolated on the left
in Fig.17 and the final effect to the right.

I followed exactly the same technique when

adding some smoke to the small bucket on the
left hand side (Fig.18). I copied and pasted a
section of the cloud into the image and then
scaled it down whilst using the Eraser tool
to soften the edges. Once again the isolated
smoke can be seen on the left and the final
result on the right.

One of the final elements I added into the

image was some splashes of molten ore.
After browsing the free library of photos on
3dTotal I chose two photographs from which
to start experimenting. In Fig.19 you can see
two images of branches with different scales. I
started by going to Select > Color Range and
then picked a random highlight on one of the
branches in the right picture and copied this into
the image.

I then locked the transparent pixels layer by

clicking on the icon at the top of the layers
palette (small chequered square ringed in red)
and then started to paint over the branches
using a bright yellow. By doing so I was able to
confine any painting to the opaque parts of the
layer, i.e: the branches (Fig.20).
Once done I scaled it accordingly and then
used a hard edged Eraser to randomly delete
sections of the branches (1) in order to create
some splashes around the top of the vat (2) as
seen in Fig.21.
I then applied a Layer Style > Outer Glow to the
remaining branches using the settings shown
(Fig.22).
I then repeated the same exercise twice more
using slightly different selections from the same
photo. These were then scaled and erased
so that the general direction of the branches
corresponded with the arrows in Fig.23. There
is no formula to this particular process, rather a
careful use of the Transform and Eraser tools in
order to give a random look to the splashes.

Final Touches
Because the background of the initial render
was black it needed to be lightened very
slightly in order to help situate the smoke more
convincingly. Using the objectID layer I selected
just the background (black area) and then, on
a new layer, filled in with a brown color similar

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 Chapter 02: Sparks and Glows Photoshop Post Effects

to the color adjusted smoke and then ramped

the opacity down to around 20%. It’s only a
slight difference, but you can see how the whiter
areas are now a little darker in the right-hand
image in Fig.24.

One final touch was to increase the contrast

to the highlights in the foreground by way of
Curves. This can either be done by applying a
new adjustment layer, which generates a mask
or alternatively you can duplicate the initial
render and then go to Image > Adjustment >
Curves and then erase the parts you do not
wish altered, which is what I did in this case.
Once the Curves dialog box opened I changed
the curve by adding two points similar to Fig.25.

The temporary white areas (1-2) reveal the parts

of the new adjusted layer, which have been
erased. The images on the lower right show
the before (3) and after version (4) in the final
state with the white area deleted. You can see
now that the highlights on the large pipe and
suspended buckets are now a little more intense
(Fig.26).

Here is the final version with the all of the post

effects (Fig.27).

Richard Tilbury
For more from this artist visit:
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact them at:
ibex80@hotmail.com

www.3dtotal.com page 18 Chapter 02

CHAPTER 03

Space
Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 03: Space

Chapter 03 - Space
Software used: 3ds Max & Photoshop

Introduction
This tutorial focuses on creating a space
environment that could make a suitable
backdrop to a sci-fi scene. As this is the main
focus I have prepared a space hangar that
deliberately leaves a large void that can be
filled in Photoshop. We shall begin with some
techniques used to create a star field and take
a look at the value of using a custom brush.
No space scene would feel complete without a
planet or two and so we will also look at how to
add these, alongside a nebula.

Stars The best method is to use a few layers, but

I made sure to choose a pure black as the
environment color within my 3D package,
for obvious reasons, and then saved out the
image as a TGA in order to quickly select the
background, which would be a little tricky along
the ceiling edge (Fig.01). The difficult aspect to
convey with any view into space is a sense of
depth as we are looking into a void and as such
there are no visible markers by which to gauge
distance. Of course there are plenty of stars, but
these vary in size and brightness and so can
be deceiving. If you had an alignment of similar
planets you could have a measuring stick,
however this would look unnatural and so we
need to vary the size and brightness of the star
field in order to create a feeling of depth.
perhaps the quickest and easiest way to start is
with the Noise filter. I created a new layer which
I filled with black and then went to Filter > Noise
and added a value which suited the size of the
render (Fig.02). This will comprise the farthest
stars, after which we will gradually move closer
toward the camera.
At the moment the scene has far too many
equidistant stars. By increasing the contrast
and lowering the brightness it is possible to add
some variety and depth (Fig.03).
Another useful way of creating stars is by way of
a custom brush. Using this approach I began by
using a hard round brush and painting in a few
random spots of varying sizes (Fig.04). This is
turned into a brush by making a selection area
around the dots and then going to Edit > Define
Brush Preset and naming the brush.

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 Chapter 03: Space Photoshop Post Effects

I then accessed the brush settings and altered

the Brush Tip, Shape Dynamics and Scattering,
using the parameters seen in Fig.05. Once done
it is necessary to create a new brush by clicking
the small icon ringed in red and saving out the
brush once more in order to preserve the new
settings.

A new layer can now be created and then the

brush used to broadly paint in a larger group
of stars. It is best to paint randomly across the
designated area and not worry too much about

placement as you can always erase individual Planets

stars later and refine the composition. A good
practice is to use an eraser with no pressure
sensitivity to fully delete certain stars and once
you are happy, reduce the opacity in order to
vary the brightness – as much depth as possible
is the aim here (Fig.06).
The third and final set of stars concerns the
largest, which appear nearest to the viewer.
Using a hard round brush I added in a few dots
and then duplicated the layer. Going to Filter
> Blur > Motion Blur, I added a blur along a
diagonal axis. This layer was then duplicated
and flipped horizontally to add the “twinkle”
effect (Fig.07). By keeping these on a separate
layer you have the option of moving, duplicating
and re-scaling them without affecting the rest
add these alongside a nebula.
For the purposes of this tutorial we will have a
look at creating planets in two different ways,
which should suit most scenarios. First of all
we will focus on how to create a distant planet
before moving on to a close-up one. As this
tutorial is aimed at 3D artists, this technique
will seem elementary but very effective. In this
instance I am using 3ds Max, but this method
can be followed in any 3D package.
I created a standard sphere, ensuring I had the
“Generate Mapping Coords” box ticked, and
then added some smoothing via Turbosmooth
(Fig.08). I then found a texture that resembled
a planet (Fig.09). In my case this was a painted
surface, but there are many textures that can
work. For example, Fig.10 shows a stone
surface that could be used to describe a desert

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 03: Space
planet and Fig.11 is a stone wall that could be
the basis for a moon. Fig.12 is similar to the
one I chose, which could also work. I suggest
picking up your digital camera and taking a stroll
– you will be surprised at how many common
and everyday surfaces can be transformed into
a planet, especially with a macro lens!
www.3dtotal.com
I applied the texture directly to my sphere
without any UVW mapping and then rotated the
angle so that the general flow was horizontal
instead of vertical (Fig.13). Using the default
lighting I hit “Render” and then the planet was
ready to be exported (Fig.14). If you wish to
control the direction and intensity of light then
some lights can be added into the scene. Once
in Photoshop I duplicated the planet, darkened
it slightly and then used a large soft airbrush to
delete the lower left, which created a broader
shadow across the upper right hemisphere
(Fig.15).
We shall now add a planet in the foreground,
but only show a portion of it due to the proximity
and so the first thing to do is to create a large
page 23 Chapter 03
 Chapter 03: Space Photoshop Post Effects

shape using the Elliptical Marquee tool. Fig.16

shows the position of the planet, which starts
its life as a flat block of color. The next phase
requires some evidence of land masses and so
I again resorted to the same texture, although
this is dependent on the type of planet you are
interested in creating (Fig.17). I decided on
a planet similar to Earth, as this is familiar to
everyone, and so I needed to show evidence of
the clouds that are always visible from space. A
great resource that I use regularly is the huge
library of free photos at 3DTotal, which can be
found here: http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/

I was looking for a general photo of clouds

to wrap around the planet, but found some

that were especially suitable as they were

photographed from an airplane.

I made a selection area that encompassed the

curve and then pasted it into the planet shape.
It is important to first select the planet so that
when you transfer the clouds you can paste into
(Shift + Ctrl + V) the shape and thus create a
layer mask. This way you have the freedom to
move them around whilst still keeping within the
planet outline (Fig.18).

Using the Warp tool (Edit > Transform > Warp)

I then created some curvature to the clouds so
that they echoed the shape (Fig.19). I set the
blending mode to Screen and altered the Curves

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 03: Space
in order to correct the color (Fig.20). Using a
combination of the Transform tools, Eraser
and the Clone Stamp I then edited the cloud
composition until I was happy with it (Fig.21).
The next step is to flatten all of these
components into a single layer and adjust
the color balance and contrast using Curves,
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resulting in a far more vibrant planet (Fig.22).
You can also see here that I used the alpha
channel from the initial TGA to select just the
exterior, and then trimmed the planet to fit within
the hangar opening.
The final stage involves adding an atmosphere,
which is achieved using glows. I duplicated the
planet layer and then added a glow via Layer >
Layer Style > Outer Glow (Fig.23).
The glow will naturally follow the entire outline
and we only want it along the curved edge so,
using a soft eraser, I deleted all but the lower
portion which is visible in Fig.24. I repeated the
procedure except this time I left just the area
page 25
apparent in Fig.25 and increased the size of the
glow to 250px. The finishing touch is the addition
of the thin outer atmosphere, which appears
as a blue film around the circumference. To do
this I selected the area around the planet and
then inverted this, therefore selecting just the
planet. I then went to Select > Modify > Expand
and entered a value between 5 and 10. Using
an appropriate color (blue in this case) I went to
Edit > Stroke and entered a value of around 3
before applying some Gaussian Blur to soften it.
Chapter 03
 Chapter 03: Space Photoshop Post Effects

After deleting the line along the two right angles

the planet was complete, which you can see
here in Fig.26.

Nebula
The last feature we will add into our scene as
an alternative is a nebula, or interstellar cloud,
which often appears very psychedelic in color.
These vary dramatically, but are certainly a well-
known feature of space and worth exploring.
The great thing about nebulas is that they do not
seem to have any discernible structure and so
you can really be creative. The key technique is
to separate out your layers and experiment with
the blending modes and color schemes, as you
will be able to produce a whole array of different
clouds from a limited number of layers.

The first layer can be seen on the left in Fig.27,

which is nothing more than few random strokes
using a soft round airbrush with the opacity
turned down to around 50%. I chose to use a
dull purple, but any color works really depending
on your desired final effect.

On a separate layer I painted in a large cloud

(upper right), which I faded out on one side
before setting the blending mode to Overlay
(lower right). A new layer was used to add a
brighter area around the center and, using
a Radial Gradient with a Foreground to

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 03: Space
Transparent preset, I dragged from the middle
outward using a pale pink, as shown in Fig.28.
The blending mode was then set to Linear
Light, which gave the nebula an ethereal glow
emanating outward from the center. You will
notice on the right that I used a soft eraser to
reveal a few lines that look like clouds, which
helps break up the symmetry a little.
The following four images (Fig.29) examine the
process of building the detail using separate
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layers. In the first (upper left) I added another
small cloud using the same pink and blending
mode apparent in Fig.28. The Soft airbrush
is the best tool for this job, especially with the
opacity turned down, as it conveys a quality that
resembles the dispersion of gas.
The next layer incorporated a different color,
but this time the blending mode was set to Soft
Light (upper right). The bottom two images
reveal two sizes of star clusters, the largest
page 27
being on the left. These were done using the
same techniques covered earlier in the tutorial,
with the smaller of the two clusters utilizing the
custom brush.
Here is the final version. With the layers
remaining intact, it is easy to experiment with
the colors and change the composition (Fig.30).
This completes the tutorial, which I hope has
given you some useful pointers for tackling your
Chapter 03
own space scenes in Photoshop. The only thing
remaining is to populate the scene with some
fighter ships, but we shall leave that for another
day (Fig.31).

Richard Tilbury
For more from this artist visit:
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact them at:
ibex80@hotmail.com
CHAPTER 04

Underwater Scene
Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 04: Underwater

Chapter 04 - Underwater
Software used: 3ds Max & Photoshop

Introduction
This tutorial explores how to transform a regular
scene into an underwater environment. We will
begin with a base 3D render, which in this case
is a scene created by Yannick Lecoffre that he
has very kindly given us permission to use. The
scene depicts a small bar in Paris and so we
will imagine that through some terrible natural
disaster the city has become engulfed by the
sea and is now completely submerged. If we
ignore the title it is also plausible to see the
scene as a bar on a luxury ocean liner that has
sunk and now resides at the bottom of the sea
somewhere.
Fig.01 shows the original render by Yannick.
We can see that the main light source is coming
from the window on the right. If one was setting
up a render in preparation for some Photoshop
work, then it follows that the lighting and any
special conditions would be set up beforehand
in order to support the post-work and minimize
the level of adjustment. Regarding the case in
question, the light would probably have been
less intense given the eventual conditions and
perhaps there would have been some bottles
and debris floating around the room. If you want
to depict a scene that had been submerged
for any length of time then you may also want
to create some grunge textures to coat the
furniture and walls, as well as some barnacles
etc. However as we are transforming a render
that was not been intended to be underwater
we will assume it has just been flooded and so
still looks quite pristine. We will also assume
that the water is not too deep and so there is
still a reasonable level of light streaming through
the window, which will conform to the current
lighting.
The first port of call is to duplicate the render, so
I went to Image > Adjustments > Levels.
Here I reduced the brightness of the overall
image and narrow the tonal range to make
the whites darker and the blacks a little lighter
(Fig.02).
The next phase is to change the color scheme
so that the scene looks as if it is underwater.
To do this I created a new layer and then used
the Gradient tool, making sure to select the
Foreground to Background preset (Fig.03). I
selected an aquamarine blue as the color for
one end of the gradient and a slightly darker
version for the opposite side, and then dragged
this across the image, making sure that the
lighter shade was on the window side. Once
done I set the blending mode to Vivid Light at
100% opacity.
As the light is now more diffuse and less intense
it is necessary to restrict its effect further by
darkening the foreground somewhat. I created a
new layer and then, using the Gradient tool once
more, I chose a dark green and dragged from
the left-hand edge across to the opposite side.
This time I used the Foreground to Transparent
preset, which has been made visible on a white

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 Chapter 04: Underwater Photoshop Post Effects

background in the upper image in Fig.04. I then

set the blending mode to Multiply at 65% opacity
to complete this layer.

The front of the bar is particularly shiny and so

to reflect this I thought it would be good if some
highlights were picked out even though the bar
is underwater. I went back to the original render,
then went to Select > Color Range and picked
the brightest part along the bar front (ringed
in red in Fig.05). I adjusted the Fuzziness to
around 112 to capture just the brightest areas. I
then copied and pasted these areas onto a new
layer and erased the floor and window, leaving
just the areas apparent in Fig.06.

I then set the blending mode to Overlay at

60% opacity, the result of which can be seen in
Fig.07.

So far we have achieved a lighting scheme and

color palette that suggests a submerged room,
but the window – the source of the light – looks
too dull compared with the interior. To fix this
I went back to the original render layer and
color selected the three panes of glass (Select
> Color Range). I copied and pasted this into a
new layer and changed the color to a slightly off-
white (Fig.08 – inset 1). I set the blending mode
to Color Dodge at 100% opacity, but because
it is underwater the light needs to appear more
diffuse and so I applied a glow effect (Layer >
Layer Style > Outer Glow). I used the settings
seen in the dialog box, which resulted in the
version apparent in the main image.
To help convey the fact that the room is flooded
I decided to add some volumetric lighting. On
a new layer I used the Lasso tool to select a
diagonal area stretching from the window to
the floor. Using a Foreground to Transparent
Gradient I then dragged from the top of the
window down using a blue similar to that
show in Fig.09. Once done I applied some
Gaussian Blur to soften the edge and then set
the blending mode to Screen at around 50%
opacity.

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Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 04: Underwater
It is now time to start adding some particles
into the water, which is akin to a random array
of noise in many ways. A photo of a natural
surface such as rock, sand or even moss and
lichen can prove useful as a reference, but in
this case I chose to use a dirt map from the
Total Textures Volume 5 – Dirt & Graffiti DVD
by 3DTotal.

Fig.10 shows the map in question from which I

have sampled the white areas and pasted them
into the scene. The layer is set to Screen at
45% opacity and then the Eraser tool has been
used to balance the particles.

I repeated this technique using a different map

to help add an extra dimension to the scene
as well as some depth (Fig.11). I sampled an
area on the left of the map (ringed in red) and
then set the blending mode to Color Dodge at
85% opacity so that just the white parts remain
visible.

To show that the room is near the surface of the

sea, and also to include an effect common to
aquatic environments, I decided to incorporate
some caustic lighting. Again this was generated
from a dirt map which bore a resemblance to
those patterns cast by water.

Fig.12 shows the map and how it looks

when set to Screen mode and blended in.
The important factor to remember here is the
perspective and so it is necessary to use the
Transform tools to skew and distort the map
so that it is aligned with the floor. You can also

opt to use the Vanishing Point filter if you are
struggling. The decision over which map to use
and how you blend each into your render will
require some degree of artistic merit as there
are no strict formulas to follow when enhancing
3D scenes. These approaches do follow some
easy steps, but as with anything visual there is
always room for interpretation and therefore you
will need to make decisions about which aspects
to erase once the maps have been copied in.

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In order to give the picture a more realistic
sense of being underwater it helps to degrade
it somewhat by way of some subtle noise and
blurring. I achieved this by selecting the levels
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Chapter 04: Underwater Photoshop Post Effects
layer in Fig.02 and going to Filter > Noise > Add
Noise (see settings in Fig.13). After applying
this I went to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and
set the Radius to around 0.6. You can see the
page 34
result of these two filters in the lower image in
Fig.13, which includes the Dirt map particles,
and compare it to the crisp version above.
Another aspect that is also common to
underwater environments is the sight of air
bubbles. Ideally we would have a library of free
images at hand that we could simply copy into
our scene, but as these often carry restrictions
we shall look for an alternative solution. I again
turned to my trusted library of Dirt maps in order
to find something that could work, which in
this case was a map called “tile02medium05”
(Fig.14).
The area I was specifically interested in was the
section highlighted in red, which I felt could work
as air bubbles. The first stage involved copying
and pasting a selection area into the scene (see
marquee in upper image in Fig.15). Once this
section had been copied in I set the blending
mode to Linear Dodge (1). These did not really
resemble bubbles as they were too crisp and so
I applied some Gaussian Blur (2).
Once done it was simply a case of duplicating
and scaling them to create a stream rising
upward (3). You can use the Clone Stamp tool
to do this, or just copy and paste the original
selection and then use the Eraser tool to modify
the composition.
Fig.16 shows four stages that involve these
steps. The top two images show the larger
bubbles whilst the lower two show duplicates
that have been scaled down and given a lower
Chapter 04
Photoshop Post Effects Chapter 04: Underwater
opacity to create the smaller bubbles. The entire
stream was generated from the original Dirt
map selection and modified using the Transform
tools, namely Scale and Rotate.

The last phase involves adding some highlights

across a few of the large bubbles, which again
utilizes the same map. I selected an area that
was composed of some of the brighter specs
and ones that have a slight curvature, as
indicated by the red rectangle in Fig.17. These
are then set to Linear Dodge at 100% opacity
and positioned so they look correct. I used the
Eraser tool to form small arcs to replicate the
shape of the bubbles.

One last additional layer will complete the

transformation and constitute a few larger
particles that are nearer the camera. To do this
I selected an area on the map shown in Fig.11
and scaled it up so that the white areas were
larger. Then I applied some generous blurring can be seen here (Fig.18). I hope this tutorial Richard Tilbury
and set the blending mode to Linear Dodge at has demonstrated how Photoshop and post- For more from this artist visit:

around 75% opacity. production can prove both a useful and valid http://www.richardtilburyart.com
alternative to 3D with respect to creating certain Or contact them at:

This concludes the transformation of the bar into effects, and be of some help in your future ibex80@hotmail.com

a flooded chamber, the final version of which projects.

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